There is some debate about the origin of the village's name; one theory is that there were once two villages named Clawson and Claxton, which grew together and became Long Clawson. The “Long” part of the name probably arose because the village is over a mile in length although with 14 sharp bends.

Situated in the Vale of Belvoir, the village is surrounded by farmland with rich soil ideal for pasture. Milk from local dairy farms is used for production of Stilton cheese. The Long Clawson dairy is one of the largest producers of this cheese.

The village features in the 1086 Domesday Book as Clachestone, but there is evidence of much earlier settlements. Embedded into the tarmac footpath against the wall of the Manor House is an ancient megalith. The Long Clawson Stone is approximately 3 feet long and allegedly a fragment of a larger ancient stone. The Manor House itself has an ancient fish pond that is still stocked.

Like many larger village settlements, the number of businesses in the village has declined in recent years. Once possessing five pubs, numerous small stores and traders, along with its own police presence, the village now only has one pub, the Crown and Plough and a few shops. The community is strong and thriving, however, with a growing population. Around 100 new houses were built in the village in the early part of the 21st century and the primary school has doubled the number of its pupils. Local demographic information shows the population to be 970 as of 2003.